Extravagant goods under the hammer

Top 4 most exorbitant goods to pass through an auction house from the past 15 years

Recently, a Rolex Daytona watch went for a staggering 1.1 million at Christie’s International auction in Geneva, leaving spectators dumbfounded – including experts.

Rolex began manufacturing this model in 1963, and the original watches are vigorously perused amongst the rich and famous. If you don’t have a spare million kicking around, maybe you can find something that’s a little more flattering on the bank balance, and seek a pre-owned Rolex at a luxury marketplace like this one here.

The Rolex Daytona got us thinking about some of the other extravagant artefacts which have went under the hammer in action houses across the world. We had a dig around, and we decided upon our top 4 most exorbitant goods to pass through an auction house from the past 15 years.

Item: Pablo Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust

Winning Bid: $106.5 million
Year Sold: 2010

Post-modernist Picasso’s masterpiece “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” which depicts his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, went for an astonishing $106.5 million at a Christies action house in a little over 8 minutes. This made it not only Picasso’s most valuable paining, but the most expensive piece of art ever sold – and it only took him a day to paint.

Item: Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President” Dress

Winning Bid: $1,267,500
Year Sold: 1999

In 1999 the dress worn by global sex icon and troubled soul Marilyn Monroe as she sang “Happy Birthday Mr. President” was sold for a little over 1.25 million at an auction. Monroe would go on to commit suicide only months after the archetypal performance. The flesh-coloured, curve hugging number was encrusted with jewels and originally cost §12,000 to make and was purchased by Manhatten based collectible agency “Gotta Have It!”.

Item: Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Hammer

Winning Bid: $30,802,500
Year Sold: 1994

Polymath and Renaissance figurehead, Leonardo da Vinci was renowned for meticulously recording his thoughts in numerous journals throughout his life. Around 30 of these drawings are believed to be in tact today, the most famous of which, the “Codex Leicester”. The astronomical manuscript was bought by the world’s richest man – Bill gates in 1994. He then promptly scanned the historical document and put it online for all to see.

Item: 11 works by Irma Stern

Winning Bid: $2-3 million
Year Sold: 2014

Eleven works by South African artist Stern went under the hammer last year at an auction house in her native country. Her works depicted traditional African culture, and are considered to be among the country’s finest art artefacts.